We get it, stories sell. They help customers remember key points even as they are overwhelmed with facts. When winning new business in the time before first sales contact this is critical as there are no salespeople to reinforce points made. But if the stories are only about your company and products they can sound like a sales pitch and be quickly forgotten. Stories that sell best describe B2B problem solving situations similar to those being experienced by customers. In short, the stories are about your customers, not you or your company. Our friend Jill Konrath explains:

There were once two competitors. The first invested to create great educational information truly helpful to customers. The second invested nothing in educational content, took the savings to the bottom line, and sold their products for less. Who won? In this case, the lower priced suppler. But it should not have happened that way.

When the digital content you create and distribute through your website, social media, and online venues is used strategically it can act as a second sales force that can help your physical one. But is the idea of a “digital sales force” just online spin?